It has been four years since the R&B songstress Ashanti released her third studio album, Concrete Rose. Now, the princess of hip-hop and R&B has returned with a new outlook and sound as she…
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In “Constructive Summer,” the opening and arguably best track on Stay Positive, Craig Finn intones “Our songs are sing-a-long songs.” True, the best ones really are anthems you want to be shouting while climbing water towers, toasting St. Joe Strummer (”I think he might’ve been our only decent teacher”), and drinking whiskey coke’s with no ice in double time — which is the “get hammered” summer plan Finn and cohorts lay out. In “Constructive Summer” he also tells us, “Let this be my annual reminder / that we can all be something bigger.” If there’s any major letdown on Stay Positive, it’s that there isn’t a bigger song in the collection. Sure, bands often front load, or give you their best first, but this song feels classic after only a few listens, setting the bar really high. When Craig says he thinks Strummer “might’ve been our only decent teacher,” he’s [...]
In “Constructive Summer,” the opening and arguably best track on Stay Positive, Craig Finn intones “Our songs are sing-a-long songs.” True, the best ones really are anthems you want to be shouting while climbing water towers, toasting St. Joe Strummer (”I think he might’ve been our only decent teacher”), and drinking whiskey coke’s with no ice in double time — which is the “get hammered” summer plan Finn and cohorts lay out. In “Constructive Summer” he also tells us, “Let this be my annual reminder / that we can all be something bigger.” If there’s any major letdown on Stay Positive, it’s that there isn’t a bigger song in the collection. Sure, bands often front load, or give you their best first, but this song feels classic after only a few listens, setting the bar really high. When Craig says he thinks Strummer “might’ve been our only decent teacher,” he’s [...]
*Click here for Peter Travers’ video review of Sex and the City*
Dear Diary,
Don’t hate me. Tonight I did something that most women would never speak to me again for doing, and/or give away organs to do themselves. Practical, intelligent women; and I’m not talking kidneys.
Yes, tonight, I attended the *Sex and the City* movie premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York City (with my bestie Ally Lewis.) Shoutoutz!
When we arrived at the pink carpet, the situation was about as glamorous as those Season One episodes where Carrie would turn to the camera and say what was on her mind. (Props to whoever put an end to this.) The rain was coming down, the make-up was running, and the line to get in resembled one of those extreme hamster cages with the psycho tubing.
A mousey girl with a heinous beret climbed onto the nearest barricade and began pouting. [...]
What? From Guided by Voices’ early lo-fi releases to their glossy, radio-chasing “professional” era, to the raucous frontman’s solo demos, Robert Pollard has always had a knack for pop music whether it’s caked in fuzz or glossy and gorgeous — either way it’s always snappy. And the indie rock forefather’s latest, Robert Pollard Is Off to Business, out June 3 via new imprint Guided by Voices Inc., is no exception, albeit cleaner and drawn out. Translation: More to chew.
For a taste, sink your teeth into album track “Gratification to Concrete,” a whah-whahing bar stool slasher with a smooth, catchy chorus — it’s poppy, rockin’, and pure Pollard.
Who? Robert Pollard, assiduous solo artist and former frontman and creative force behind Dayton, OH-based scuzz-pop stalwarts Guided by Voices. Since 1996’s solo debut Not in My Airforce, Pollard has maintained a restless regiment of releases, which only increased with the 2004 dissolution of [...]
Within the ornate walls of San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall last night (May 29), the Fiery Furnaces and opener Grand Ole Party seemingly battled head-to-head, each wielding decidedly different sounds — and two vocalists each with a distinct style.
Warming the crowd with cuts off their debut full-length Humanimals, including highlights “Nasty Habits” and “Gypsy March,” Grand Ole Party, though just a trio, sounded like a band of five or six with their complex riffs and spot-on harmonies. Vocalist/drummer Kristin Gundred commanded the audience with her versatile range, as axeman John Paul Labno triumphed with his solos in “Roll on Down.” Forecast: Grand Ole Party’s days as an opening band are numbered.
With a sound all their town, the brother-sister team of the Fiery Furnaces, a.k.a. Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, then rolled out a musical adventure full of twists and turns — some less welcome than others. With each track, including [...]
By the time he was upon the threshold of puberty, Usher already had a record deal and a gold album. By the time he graduated from high school, he’d established himself as one of the most visible artists in R&B. Armed with a soulful voice and impressive songwriting skills, Usher’s songs vary from floor-rattling dance tracks to between-the-sheets ballads. Between 1994 and 2004, he released six albums, appeared in several films, earned multiple platinum plaques, and collaborated with a wide variety of top-shelf artists. Though he was already a well-established famous singer (and occasional actor), 2004 was the year he really blew up worldwide, thanks to the infectious, chart-topping single “Yeah” produced by Lil Jon. The song, and his album Confessions, netted him three Grammy Awards and propelled him to the upper tier of music superstardom.
- Kali Holloway
The good news: Digidesign has made a pre-release version of Pro Tools 7.4 (all versions — M-Powered, LE, and HD) available for Mac OS X Leopard. You’re advised not to install this on a critical system and to keep regular backups, but if you’ve got a new machine waiting for a Leopard-ready version, you can give this a go now.
Update: Information on Pro Tools Compatibility for Mac OS X 10.5.3
The reason you might still want to wait on Leopard upgrading, in case this hasn’t already made you cautious: not all RTAS plug-ins are expected to be “Leopard-ready.” (TDM plug-ins run on Digi’s DSP hardware and are apparently unaffected once the host works.) We’re told developers are being advised to test rigorously because of changes to Mac OS X. This may not be limited to Digidesign. Based on reports from readers, while users are on the whole happier with 10.5.3 [...]
I grew up in the woods with a taxidermist stepfather and a lot of stuffed deer heads, foxes, and a goose (caught in mid-flight) decorating the house. I have eaten homemade deer sausage. My mother drives a pickup and uses the pickup part for work-related activities, like hauling hay for her horses. I have been given camo non-ironicallly. When I interviewed Bon Iver about the deep woods and hunting, I nodded in recognition more than twice (six times, actually). All that said, Ted Nugent’s passion for the NRA goes further than and deeper than anyone I know. His love (lust?) runs so deep, he wrote an anthem about it. The lyrics are horrible. As is the song. But we wanted to print them anyhow, because if you take the time to listen, you might as well sing along. Also, please note the press release let us know that the “freedom-loving [...]
As the Fillmore East quickly filled to capacity last night (May 28), adoring fans, fashionistas, and hipsters alike joined forces in one huge sweaty pit of ambiguity for a kick-ass bill highlighted by Nashville’s Be Your Own Pet.
But, unlike the molten sea of fans beneath them, each performing act stood out on their own; Switches kept the crowd interested with their thick British brogue when tunes like “Lovin’ It,” off latest LP Lay Down the Law, weren’t able to pick up the slack. The quartet’s generic brand of pop-rock is certainly tight, but never wanders off the beaten path — it could have been playing over the P.A. system with the pithy British quips (”We’re from Lonnnnnndon! Wooooo!”) overdubbed.
After a brief break, New York City’s the Virgins, ahem, switched things up with clanking Police-like dub guitar over droned vocals and snappy bass. But, fittingly, their set was short — the [...]